Lydia didn’t know if it was lucky or unlucky, but there wasn’t a soul outside the warehouse. However, not far away seemed to be a cliff, with the deep blue sea below.
Ron and Maggie caught up with her. Despite her desperation, Lydia ran without considering anything else. Betrayal and pain filled her mind with only one thought: she mustn’t let Ron and Maggie succeed. She couldn’t let them capture her again.
Running frantically, Lydia failed to notice that the direction of her escape was flawed. Her strength waned, and her steps gradually lost their initial lightness. Gasping for air, her lungs felt as if they were stuffed with sponges, making it hard to breathe.
In contrast, despite his injury, Ron, being a man, quickly caught up with Lydia’s pace. Maggie followed closely behind.
As Lydia ran, she realized there was no path ahead anymore. The surging waves crashed against the cliffs, roaring menacingly.
Lydia froze in her tracks, despair filling her eyes.
“Why aren’t you running, you bitch?” Ron walked up to Lydia from behind. Although his head wound had stopped bleeding, he still looked battered and fierce, like a demon from hell.
Gritting her teeth, Ron approached and grabbed Lydia’s arm, delivering a harsh slap to her face.
Maggie, gasping for breath, also stopped and muttered, “This bitch can run alright, but it’s useless. Even if she can run, it won’t help. Not even heaven’s on her side!”
Ron used considerable force, causing Lydia’s face to swell instantly. The searing pain, accompanied by the ringing in her ears, made Lydia’s mind foggy. Then, Ron flung her to the ground.
The sharp stones cut into her skin, and blood stained the rocks. Lydia’s disheveled hair fell around her face, hiding her expression.
Lydia’s sorry state pleased Ron and Maggie, somewhat easing their earlier anger.
Stepping forward, Ron grabbed Lydia by her hair, forcing her to look up.
After the sorrow and despair, hatred surged in Lydia’s bright eyes like a burning flame, waiting for an opportunity to consume everything in its path.
“Bitch! How dare you hit me!” Ron yelled as he delivered another slap, causing blood to flow from Lydia’s mouth, a chilling sight.
Maggie stepped forward and grabbed Ron’s hand, “Enough! Don’t beat her to death; we’re still waiting for her to sign!”
Hatred filled Lydia’s eyes as she stared directly at the couple before her. “Aren’t you afraid of retribution for what you’re doing?”
Maggie sneered, “Retribution? What’s that? Just something useless people make up to scare themselves. If there were such a thing as retribution in this world, your dad and my mom would have already experienced it!”
Lydia’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
Her father? Her mother? A bad feeling crept over her.
Maggie’s smile turned more sinister. “Oh, you still don’t know? Since you look so pitiful, I’ll tell you. Your mom’s accident wasn’t just an accident. It was your dad and my mom who killed her! So don’t talk to me about retribution! I don’t believe in it!”
Lydia’s mind went blank, as if something had exploded inside her, tearing her apart. Her heart seemed to stop beating, and she couldn’t find the words to speak. Tears streamed down her face, tasting bitter and salty.
“Mom…” Lydia murmured softly, her eyes filled with despair and confusion.
How could there be such malicious people in the world?
Her own father actually committed such a despicable act?!
He didn’t love her, was cold to her, and though she was saddened by it, she never blamed him because he was her biological father!
But who would have thought that there was such a shocking secret hidden beneath it all?
She had always thought her mother’s death was just an accident. So even when her stepmother entered their lives, Lydia didn’t show much hostility, and even took good care of her stepsister, Lydia’s half-sister.
But in the end, the woman she had always addressed as “aunt” turned out to be her mother’s murderer! And now, she was forced into such a situation!
It was ridiculous and tragic!
The whistling wind mixed with the crashing waves woke Lydia from her stupor, igniting a determined gleam in her eyes. Even if she died, she wouldn’t let these scoundrels take away her grandfather’s inheritance.
They weren’t worthy!
Slowly, Lydia stood up from the ground, her slender figure straight and proud, like a snow lotus blooming on the edge of despair.
The wind lifted her long hair, which danced in the air as she took steps back. Yet, she still smiled mockingly at Ron and Maggie. “You won’t get anything! One day, you’ll face your comeuppance! I curse you, may you never obtain your heart’s desires! May you destroy yourselves, fall into poverty, and live a wretched life! Death is better than you!”
Ron crawled to the edge of the cliff, watching as the waves carried Lydia’s disappearing figure away. Frustrated, he pounded the ground and shouted at Maggie, “Didn’t I tell you to catch her?”
Maggie was initially stunned by Ron’s outburst, then she retorted in frustration, “Why are you yelling at me! Her dying isn’t that bad! Saves you from worrying about her all the time!”
Ron’s eyes blazed with anger. “You know nothing! According to the will, if Lydia dies unexpectedly, all the money will be donated to charity. Now we won’t get a penny! Damn it! We’ve been wasting our time for nothing!”
Maggie’s expression shifted from annoyance to realization. “Oh… Then we need to find her body before anyone else does. We have to make sure there’s no chance of her being rescued.”
Ron nodded vigorously. “Exactly! Let’s search the area and make sure there’s no trace of her left. We can’t risk her being found alive!”
With a grim determination, they began scouring the surroundings for any sign of Lydia’s presence, driven by their desire to ensure that their plans wouldn’t be thwarted by her potential survival.
Maggie looked at the empty ocean with wide eyes and a little disbelief in her ears. “What are we going to do?”
In the end, the two cursed and left each other, the lingering wind blew away all the sins, and this seaside was as calm as if nothing had ever happened before.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.